New Apartment (and Better This Time)
Yikes, I haven't posted since my birthday? Well I guess I have a reasonable excuse this time, I kind of... moved. But I think I'm going to quit starting my posts with the usual "it's been too long since my last post" bit and just post when I'm able. And hopefully it will be more often.
Anyways yes! Moved! Why you might ask? Well it's a long story, but basically it boils down to the lack of action and responsibility of my land lord/real estate agency (Able) I rented the old apartment from. There were a number of different issues with the apartment I found after I moved in that needed some attention, and if Able did anything about it at all, it was usually delayed or all I got was an excuse as to why they wouldn't do anything. Items like the AC front panel broken, the AC hose outside cracked and leaking, the toilet faucet not stopping, the sink hot water knob leaking, etc were, albeit annoying, something I could live with. But the biggest of these was the water pressure.
::Warning, rant::
When I first moved in I mentioned that the water pressure seemed a bit low - it wasn't exactly something I thought to check when I moved in, plus the water is usually turned off when no one lives there. After I told Able about the water pressure, I pretty much had no response. It took them a month alone to fix the toilet because I had to call and remind them. I finally got them to move when the water started STOPPING, but when they took a look at it, they basically told me that it's weak because I'm on the 3rd (top) floor... which never made sense to me since there's 10, 20 story buildings nearby.
In all, 6 or 7 people came at different times over a couple months to look at my water, all with different opinions and results, but none with quick response. It turns out that the owner just didn't want to spend money on fixing it, especially since he was about to sell the building. Well that's an reason I can accept... if they would only tell it to me before giving me the run around with "there's nothing we can do" and "it's not impeding upon your daily routine". Well they could do something about it (replace the pump) and it was impeding on my life (water stopping). So I basically said, the heck with it, and started looking for a new place.
I eventually found a much newer apartment (2009), much closer to work (15 min via bike), with almost double the space (600 ft2), from a much more reputable and trustworthy real estate agency. It did come with a price as moving into new apartments are quite expensive with the security deposit, finders fee, service and handling fee, insurance, 1st month rent, etc... but its definitely worth it. I feel more relaxed and comfortable just being in this apartment. Plus, thanks to Kana and her mom graciously taking their time to negotiate with Able on my behalf, I'm getting most of my non-rent money back from Able, so in the end I'm not down as much as I would have been if I had moved here from the beginning (although it wasn't available then). Many many many many thanks and apologies for all the stress and time they took to help me out with this issue. I can't even think of how I'll ever be able to repay them! Maybe I can start with importing anything from the US for free.
So yea, new apartment, and I'm loving it - less stress and easier morning commute. I took some pictures before I moved in here, and I'll take some more after I finally finish cleaning up after unpacking.
Oh by the way, I don't know if this qualifies as irony, but for the last month I lived at the old apartment they contracted some cleaning company to basically clean the entire building exterior, including resurfacing the balconies and repainting everything. So the owner will spend money on contracting them for almost a 2 month period, but won't spend money on fixing the innards, the stuff that matters? Yea... oh well. It's done. I'm happier and a bit wiser. :D
Anyways yes! Moved! Why you might ask? Well it's a long story, but basically it boils down to the lack of action and responsibility of my land lord/real estate agency (Able) I rented the old apartment from. There were a number of different issues with the apartment I found after I moved in that needed some attention, and if Able did anything about it at all, it was usually delayed or all I got was an excuse as to why they wouldn't do anything. Items like the AC front panel broken, the AC hose outside cracked and leaking, the toilet faucet not stopping, the sink hot water knob leaking, etc were, albeit annoying, something I could live with. But the biggest of these was the water pressure.
::Warning, rant::
When I first moved in I mentioned that the water pressure seemed a bit low - it wasn't exactly something I thought to check when I moved in, plus the water is usually turned off when no one lives there. After I told Able about the water pressure, I pretty much had no response. It took them a month alone to fix the toilet because I had to call and remind them. I finally got them to move when the water started STOPPING, but when they took a look at it, they basically told me that it's weak because I'm on the 3rd (top) floor... which never made sense to me since there's 10, 20 story buildings nearby.
In all, 6 or 7 people came at different times over a couple months to look at my water, all with different opinions and results, but none with quick response. It turns out that the owner just didn't want to spend money on fixing it, especially since he was about to sell the building. Well that's an reason I can accept... if they would only tell it to me before giving me the run around with "there's nothing we can do" and "it's not impeding upon your daily routine". Well they could do something about it (replace the pump) and it was impeding on my life (water stopping). So I basically said, the heck with it, and started looking for a new place.
I eventually found a much newer apartment (2009), much closer to work (15 min via bike), with almost double the space (600 ft2), from a much more reputable and trustworthy real estate agency. It did come with a price as moving into new apartments are quite expensive with the security deposit, finders fee, service and handling fee, insurance, 1st month rent, etc... but its definitely worth it. I feel more relaxed and comfortable just being in this apartment. Plus, thanks to Kana and her mom graciously taking their time to negotiate with Able on my behalf, I'm getting most of my non-rent money back from Able, so in the end I'm not down as much as I would have been if I had moved here from the beginning (although it wasn't available then). Many many many many thanks and apologies for all the stress and time they took to help me out with this issue. I can't even think of how I'll ever be able to repay them! Maybe I can start with importing anything from the US for free.
So yea, new apartment, and I'm loving it - less stress and easier morning commute. I took some pictures before I moved in here, and I'll take some more after I finally finish cleaning up after unpacking.
Oh by the way, I don't know if this qualifies as irony, but for the last month I lived at the old apartment they contracted some cleaning company to basically clean the entire building exterior, including resurfacing the balconies and repainting everything. So the owner will spend money on contracting them for almost a 2 month period, but won't spend money on fixing the innards, the stuff that matters? Yea... oh well. It's done. I'm happier and a bit wiser. :D
posted by Kurisu at
8:33 AM
1 Comments:
Everyone knows that "innards" don't matter if the building appears clean on the outside. Good luck in the new place!
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